Routines are more than just habits for me—they’re lifelines. Living with ADHD means that when I let go of structure, things start to unravel fast. So while there are definitely parts of my day I’d love to skip, I know better than to try.
The truth is, it’s not the teaching part of my day that wears me down—it’s the paperwork. Grading, recording, lesson planning, attendance logs—all the administrative clutter that fills the spaces between the things I actually love doing. But the irony is that those tedious parts are what make the rest possible. Without grading, students never know where they stand. Without lesson plans, the day goes off the rails.
So instead of skipping them, I try to streamline them. I’m constantly looking for ways to make the tedious parts faster, cleaner, and less soul-draining. The goal isn’t to avoid the hard stuff—it’s to get through it efficiently enough that there’s time left for the good stuff: teaching, connecting, writing, living.
Some people say, “Save the best for last.” I say, “Get the worst done first.”
Copyright © 2025 Doug DeBolt.
